Pets are adventurous. Whether they’re cats or dogs, their curiosity usually leads them to unexpected accidents. When these accidents happen, it’s important that you have a plan of action that will help get your pet taken care of. The professionals at Countryside Animal Hospital in Fort Collins has a few primary tips for you to take into consideration when you first recognize that your pet has been injured.

Bleeding

If you notice that your pet is bleeding, it’s important that you first take note of the severity of the cut and then advance to stopping the bleeding. Using towels, bandages or gauze, apply direct pressure to the wound and make sure the bandage is tied in place through transport. Don’t wrap the bandage too tight; you want to make sure it’s tight enough to stay on, but not cut off circulation. Do your best to make sure that your pet doesn’t lick the wound if it hasn’t been cleaned.

Poison

Animal’s bodies don’t function the way that ours do. There are a lot of things that they can consume that will pose a danger to their life, for instance, chocolate. If your pet has gotten into some of your medicine, has eaten something bad for them or digested some of the salt that melts the snow, contact Countryside Animal Hospital. Our vet clinic can tell you whether or not what they’ve digested is harmful, provide any immediate guidance and schedule an appointment to get them back to good in no time.

Seizure

As with humans, seizures can be very scary. When pets experience seizures, they rarely know what’s going on, or what’s happened when they finish seizing. If your pet begins to have seizures, make sure that you and your pet are in a safe location. Holding them down can inflict more fear, which could lead to them acting out violently after seizing. Gently cradle their head, and keep track of how long their seizure is lasting.

The most important piece to your plan of action will be making sure that your pet is transported to the vet clinic safely. During an emergency or an accident, provide as much care as possible, but don’t try and perform the tasks that a vet would. Contact Dr. Speights at Countryside Animal Hospital in the case of an emergency!